A former enslaved man and a philanthropist latest to be voted into Derby’s Hall of Fame for 2018

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DERBY — A slave who became one of Connecticut’s earliest black governors and a philanthropist who gained fame as the largest home developer in Derby’s history are the latest members to join the city’s Hall of Fame for 2018.

Mayor Richard Dziekan has announced that Quosh Freeman and Harold B. Yudkin are the newest members to join the annual class, which is in its 12th year. The two will be inducted during Derby Day, scheduled for June 23.

The city established the Hall of Fame in 2007 as a way to pay tribute to Derby natives or residents whose achievements on a local, state, national or international level played a significant role in shaping the course of history.

Dziekan said the Class of 2018 inductees hail “from two distinctly different periods of time in Derby history.”

According to a press release from Dziekan’s office, Freeman was born in Ghana in the early 1800s, and ended up as a slave in the United States. While he was a slave, he was simply known as Quosh, with no surname. His story took a dramatic turn when he was given his freedom by his owner, Lt. Agar Tomlinson, of Derby, along with a plot of land known as the Freeman Homestead located within the boundaries of Osborndale State Park.

Eventually, Freeman was elected as one of the renowned and historic Black Governors of Connecticut, with the election site in Derby. According to http://museumofcthistory.org, “evidence of the tradition among African Americans of electing black governors or kings can be found in several New England colonies throughout the eighteenth century. In Connecticut, the practice appears to have started in the mid 1750s.”

In recent years, students and faculty members from Central Connecticut State University began an archaeological dig in the Freeman Homestead to help add more information to Freeman’s story.

Yudkin arrived in Derby some 100 years later, and made a name as a scholar, lawyer, historian and philanthropist, as well as the largest developer of homes in Derby’s history. He grew up on Seymour Avenue and graduated from Derby High School in 1928. He graduated from Bates College and earned his law degree from the University of Virginia. He served with the army in England during WWII before undertaking a 60-year career as a lawyer in Derby.

Yudkin, having recognized the need for more housing for returning veterans, formed a company that literally transformed the face of the city when the company built nearly 100 houses and a shopping center. He also was a founder of Beth Israel Synagogue and was very active in Jewish affairs including writing for the Jewish Digest.

In addition, Yudkin was a big supporter of numerous Valley's nonprofits and a longtime sponsor of an annual oratorical contest at DHS.

Upon retirement in 1987, Yudkin devoted himself to writing a 1,500 page, first person account of the life of Benedict Arnold, dubbed “When I Was a Loyal American,” in the years before Arnold betrayed his county.

The Derby Hall of Fame, located by the National Humane Alliance Fountain at the Division Street entrance to the Derby Greenway, features a special engraved brick for each of the members, detailing their achievements.

Dziekan lauded this year’s inductees, saying “I am honored by Quosh Freeman and Harold Yudkin for their impressive accomplishments and steadfast efforts to create a better life for future generations. Both gentlemen are rightfully recognized for being industrious and achieving extraordinary goals while giving back to the community.”